The past few days have been filled with plenty of worrisome distracting things. Despite the hurricane's howling winds, I managed to chip away at some revisions to a chemistry article. The chips were about as big as 10X sugar, but that's besides the point. I posted a few photographs of the hurricane. We were lucky, we never lost power and there were only sticks and leaves all over the yard. Local damage was in the form of downed trees, power outages, roads blocked off, and traffic lights out. The eastern portion of CT got socked with major power outages and on the coast, a few houses slipped into the sea. EEK!

Also, I spent some time pointing out and trying to get to the route of my mother's increasing confusion. Some bozo prescribed anti-psychotic drugs. GET HER OFF OF THEM NOW! I think/hope they've got a handle on the problem now, but geesh, you REALLY have to watch in these rehab/nursing facilities.

I took another look at the large project that I'm itching to ditch. I did some minor tweaking, stuff like jacking up the font size by one increment and indenting one whole space on a few lines. I did find one word that needed to be replaced. That one word made it all worth my while. It was a place and it didn't match the place I listed in the rest of the material. Phew! Spared myself some embarrassment (wow, that's a first!).

Some times it's a challenge to get any work done as a writer. In the work for hire world you have five days to get your changes in. If you don't get them in on time, then you don't get more work. There was a time in my life that this may have worked for me, but not now. Take this week for example. There was an earthquake, a pulled lower back muscle, a vasovagal response, and a night in the emergency room. If that's not enough, two kids were dropped off at college and a hurricane is on its way. I can see the little note in my file, "forget this one!"

My big project is done and ready to ship out! I hope this one takes me places. A critically important email arrived last week and boy was I ever excited to get it!

There was a turkey convention in my backyard and I slept through it. Drat! The bottom photograph is Melanie's new roommate at college, a handsome fellow named Zach.

Last night, at 2:43AM, ideas came churning out. I was unable to find my small notebook, so I ended up going downstairs to write down this growing list. Forget about sleep after that.

The to-do list can be categorized as:
1) Chemistry Article
2) Presentation related
3) Other writing

It's pretty clear that this writing journey is taking me in a direction far different than most nonfiction writers. I like that. I think it's much harder to break into the field of narrative nonfiction and stay true to writing stories versus writing nonfiction not in a story format. After hearing about the work-for-hire scene, I came to the conclusion that from a financial standpoint, it seems to me that fiction rewards bestsellers or those with literary merit and nonfiction rewards speed. What's with that?

Here's a photograph of my niece on a hike at the Worcester Ecotarium. I think these fish were expecting some food, instead, on a very hot day, she dumped her water bottle in to give them a drink. How thoughtful. Needless to say, a little while later she mentioned she was thirsty.

I got my article back again for a second set of changes. Hopefully, I can come up with a better beginning. I am about 97% done with another large project I'm working on. I plan to ship it off on Labor Day with or without the pieces that will surely make it stronger. If I get all the pieces, it will be one small miracle.
One.
Small.
Miracle.

Today, I volunteered to help at the NESCBWI conference next year. If it comes to fruition that would be great. A number of years ago, I volunteered, but was not needed. In 2010, I volunteered again, but oh what a year that was. A dump truck of really awful personal stuff unloaded as that conference was heating up. Like everything else, I have to keep on trying.

I came up with a great idea for another class for kids. I think (have to check on this) that it would be geared for middle school students.

We passed these bald eagles before entering the Worcester Ecotarium. Along the side of the cage, I was able to bypass double fencing and really get my camera lens between the chain links. Such a shame no one was there to stop me. Actually, the spot I was in was well worn so I wasn't the only one with that idea.

Recently, I was reading an article in Discover magazine by esteemed NASW science writer Carl Zimmer. I was really drawn into the article by the gruesome action packed beginning. It got me thinking. I had an action packed beginning in my chemistry article, but the editor replaced it with a summary. I know the American Chemical Society does a lot of reader tests to get feedback. I'd really love them to test two versions of the article to see which captivates students more--the summarized start or the action packed start. Personally, I think a better place for a summary is in the extensive teacher's guide they produce with each issue.

In New York, I picked up another tidbit of information from a marketing class presented by Mary-Alice Moore of Boyds Mills Press who grew up in here in Connecticut. She mentioned that people spend too much time on blogs, reading and writing posts. I definitely think I do and I've made a conscious effort to cut back on my blogging and focus on writing and research. Instead of posting every other day, I'm cutting back to about twice a week.

It's been three weeks since my return from the workshop and I'm just now starting to feel like I can relax a bit. I still have pages of notes, hours of recordings and piles of books to pore over.

I could have watched the river otters at the Worcester Ecotarium all day long. They were so cute I couldn't stop snapping photographs. Here they look like they are kissing each other. Some day maybe I'll write about river otters and submit some of the better photographs I took.

I've been moving non-stop since my return from Chautauqua New York. The queue has been jam packed with things to keep me busy. Yesterday, I emailed a revised article, so that's out of the way. In Carolyn Yoder's session, From Research to the Printed Page, I learned that words taken from other sources usually cost money, so I asked about the excellent quotes I found in videos. I was told they are usually not allowed, so I removed them. That was disappointing. Next up, I'll be digging a fat envelope out of the cellar and dusting it off. I can't wait to get back to this one!

About a week ago, I took my niece to the Worcester Ecotarium for the day and took these photographs of a boa constrictor. The snake's dirty laundry is hanging in the bottom photograph.

Roger Tory Peterson Institute

One evening while at Chautauqua a bus whisked us away to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown New York where we had a barbeque (the salmon was yum). Roger Tory Peterson created the "Field Guide to Birds," first published in 1934. While we were at RTPI we had the option of taking an architectural tour of the building and/or a tour of the archives. Mark Baldwin of RTPI showed us one drawer of extinct birds and held up an Ivory Billed Woodpecker and a Passenger pigeon, both extinct. I couldn't help but think how exciting it would be to be let loose in those archives to open the drawers, examine the birds, turn them over in my hands and feel their tiny feet, but that was a no-no.

The photographs of bird artwork were Peterson's first and last illustrations. He died in 1996. The unfinished illustration left an impression on me. It was a stark reminder of how quickly and unexpected death can be. He was so passionate about his work that he was doing it until the day he died.

If you're interested in getting other writer's opinions of Chautauqua or RTPI, I've assembled a list of blog posts from friends I met there:

Marie Powell-Mendenhall - RTPI
Betsy Devany - how I landed in Oz
Kathy Mirkin - 10 reasons to attend
Gail Handler - The charm of Chautauqua

Here's a place to find information about Chautauqua 2011 alumni

My final comments about Chautauqua have to do with the publishing marketplace. I heard from a nonfiction writer that nonfiction is not selling right now. I heard from picture book writers that picture books are not selling right now. I got the distinct impression that the publishing industry is partially paralyzed by the changes rippling through it from e-books. They are cautious and waiting, only taking on projects that they know will sell.

I've been revising a chemistry article that took some getting used to after the editor shuffled it like a deck of cards. After looking at it, I realized it's mostly my cards rearranged a bit. Actually, the edits aren't that extensive, so it's moving along.

Although this bee on a coneflower shot could have been taken anywhere, I took this macro shot at Chautauqua one day as I walked back to the hotel.

Chautauqua - the people

At Chautauqua, the disparity between "them" and "us" was negligible. The faculty and invited authors were approachable and they weren't there to further their own agendas. At meals, they spread out among the conferees. During one dinner, I was happily sandwiched between Sivu from South Africa and Jerry Spinelli. At another dinner, I sat next to Kathi Appelt. On different days, I had breakfast with Chris French Cully, Carolyn Yoder, and Andy Boyles. At a barbeque I sat next to Julie Ham, an editor at Charlesbridge. It was not so much what will happen from this workshop, but creating the possibility that it can happen by making connections. My roommate, Janet Lloyd Weber, and I were amazed at how gracious Kent Brown's family was to open their homes to us for barbeques on two separate evenings.

The bottom photograph was taken at my dinner table one evening. The middle shot is my totebag from the conference signed by faculty and authors. I had my mentor, Andy Boyles, sign front and center. In the upper left hand corner you'll find the cryptic signature of Tommy James (and the Shondells). The top photograph is of the last morning where I laughed throughout breakfast. So many happy memories of Chautauqua......

Chautauqua - the program

The program at the writer's workshop at Chautauqua was more intense than I expected. I was quite busy the whole week and that left little time to participate in the scheduled Chautauqua Institution lectures and programs. There were inspirational keynote speeches in the morning and in the evening. In the afternoon, I scurried from one pre-selected workshop to another. During lunch, there were optional Lunch and Learn sessions where I ate and listened to a speaker. I participated in two of these. One was a session on how teachers select nonfiction books and the other was about school visits. At times I found it difficult to focus because of the heat and because I didn't sleep well while I was at Chautauqua. It seemed many people were not sleeping well. We were all caught up in the excitement.

Prior to arriving at Chautauqua, I submitted a manuscript for critique. Critiques were either Mon and Wed or Tue and Thurs. I was real happy with my first critique despite having a critique group that I consider to be quite thorough, I received some great suggestions. The second critique meeting either involved new material or revisions to the submitted material. In order to get those revisions done participants stayed up till the wee hours of the morning or they cut workshops and keynote speeches (that would be me).

There was a lot of stuff crammed into one week. I signed up for an early morning nature walk that I really enjoyed. We found a dead bat (I wish I used the macro setting of the camera!) . One day we went to Roger Tory Peterson Institute and got a tour of the archives and their Ivory Billed Woodpecker. Other conferees participated in a history field trip. Sharon Creech was one of the keynote speakers. The top photograph summarizes the keynoters words of wisdom. What a great conference!

Chautauqua - the place

Chautauqua Institution is unique. I know of no other place like it. It's not really a town, but more like a gated village devoted to the arts. It straddles Chautauqua Lake. At the front gate, there's a schedule of all the events that happen during the week. Lectures, concerts, animal shows.....all occur in open air buildings. The houses have small yards overflowing with flowers. Jerry Spinelli told me he and his wife bought a house in Chautauqua because they loved it so much. My first impression was that it was quaint.

The bottom photograph is the amphitheater where we saw Tommy James and the Shondells. The middle photograph is the lecture hall where I sat during lunch and also met my mentor, Andy Boyles. Many times during the week I'd walk past the lecture hall and hear someone speaking. The top photograph is the view from the front porch of the Athenaeum where I stayed. It's a magnificent historic hotel that has had many famous guests.

Chautauqua - First Day

To get into the Chautauqua Institution you have to go through one of the gates. You'd think the President was coming with all the security they have there. Every trip in and every trip out requires a scan of a ticket.

That first day I wandered the grounds walking all four of the streets that ran parallel to the lake. When I found the bell tower, why of course I wanted to climb to the top, but that was no-no. Carolyn Benton, the chimemaster who wanted this job since she was five, asked me what hymn or fun song I wanted to hear from her lists. Since I was there for a writing conference, I selected "I Could Write a Book." Since I was not familiar with what I was requesting, she could have played any old thing and I never would have caught on.

Last night I returned from Chautauqua. I had a fabulous time. One of the questions I had before I left was what is it about this conference that makes writers love it? I now know the answer to that. I hope to explain that in a series of blog posts about place, program and people and include key photographs. For now, I'm digging out and working on edits to an article.

Asiatic lily and coreopsis

I've adjusted to the new reality by looking at things differently. Instead of standing in the street and gazing at the top of a skyscraper and thinking what a devastating fall, I stand in the street gazing at the first floor thinking you can do it. You can get there. One step at a time. It's the same with writing. When you look at the mountain top and see the happy faces they seem so unreachable, but taking one careful step at a time you will move toward that peak and enjoy the journey more. Hopefully, after a week at Chautauqua there will be noticeable improvements all around. I am SO looking forward to getting away, attending lectures, meeting new people, enjoying the arts, listening to feedback and most of all immersing myself in the writing world. I have much to discuss with a mentor.

The top photograph is an Asiatic lily. They are stiff flowers that last a long time in bouquets. The bottom is coreopsis, a profusely flowering plant.

I've carefully worded my editorial email and will send it out tomorrow when I'm a lot more rested than today. I'm afraid I'm going to make a stupid mistake. Chautauqua is on my doorstep and the suitcase is getting stuffed.

Melanie found this turtle wandering around in the middle of our backyard. Boy, did Walt ever startle me. I turned my head and the feisty creature was dangling real close to my ear. At first, I didn't even recognize it as a turtle. I screamed. I'm not a turtle expert, but I think it was a painted turtle. I picked up the muddy squirming creature and placed it at the edge of the wet woods. Now, I'm wondering if I should have driven it to a pond. It was quite a ways away from the pond in the woods and quite eager to get moving away from me. I can't say that I blame it. When I cropped one photo so it was only the head I noticed what looked like a snail on the shell. Maybe it was a chunk of mud?

Clematis

Lately I've been thinking big, big, big. Before I act, I have to do some research and make some decisions. Speaking of decisions, I'm real happy with mine and where they've taken me. I'm leaving for Chautauqua Friday morning and staying in Jamestown Friday night. The way bombs drop around here, I'll believe it when I get there.

This clematis has been creeping through the holes in the lattice and is profusely flowering on both sides of the railing. A fine vine indeed.

I'm hoping my suitcase can pack itself, so I can collapse inside it. It's been a busy couple of weeks shuttling to the hospital, painting the house and struggling to accomplish something. As a science writer I'm always asking questions. My mother has told me more than once that I ask too many. I shoot them out like gunfire. Yesterday I asked what a dense stroke was. You know, my mother was right.

Yesterday I met with my writing friends for 3 1/2 hours. We meet at an eating area of a grocery store. A sparrow (which I named Jack) flew around inside the store and eavesdropped at the next table. I wish I had my camera! My friend suggested a more inventive word in place of "big." The conversation tanked after that. It wasn't long before the guy in the next booth up and left. I am glad they made me laugh. Today, I spent the day poring over crit group suggestions and revising. I still have the last piece and those emails to finish.

More flowers today--day lilies and clematis.

Hydrangea

All the pieces of my current writing project are done except one. Hopefully, this week I can steal away some time to finish the meat of the thing. It's a powerful package.

Here's another recipe for busy writers. I made this yesterday and loved it. The apricots hold up real well and don't turn brown or mushy the second day.:

Cranberry Apricot Chicken Salad
- Use leftover chicken or grill boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used a grill pan).
- Chop chicken.
- Add chopped fresh apricots, dried cranberries and mayo. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of tarragon
- Serve over lettuce, between bread or eat it straight

I've been shuttling back and forth to the hospital all week. This morning, I picked a bunch of hydrangeas and brought them with me. Would I love them as much if they were pink? The soft blue petals are striking They remind me of fresh fallen snow.

Purple Iris

The bucket of life has spilled once again. I can turn the pail upright, but I'm not sure I can collect all that was lost (can you tell we've been painting the house?). I've been thinking a lot about what the future holds. Well, I don't have an answer. No one does. Despite what is going on with others, I've got to pursue what I'm destined to pursue. In the past, I've hobbled over obstacles by telling myself I'll find a way. I'll find a way. I WILL find a way. I always do.

Needless to say, I've been too distracted to send any emails and part of me is wary of a negative response or no response at all, but I'll get there. I will.

There is no better photograph for today than iris' that were given to me by my mother.

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Everything about writing involves making a decision. What topic to pursue? How to approach it? How to organize it? Which word to use? An entire career is made up of decisions, footsteps that propel a person in a direction. My resume reflects my choices.

As I look back on my years of writing I think about what I could have done differently to speed up the motion and reduce the frustration. I never pursued work for hire or an agent. Would that have helped? I never gave any thought to self-publishing. I don't regret that decision. Then there are those things that can not be rushed. Writing needs to season over time and with practice. Lots and lots of practice.

Anyhow, I made a decision, I have a direction. It was based on the question, where is the story? Now I need to ship out a couple of emails, one to a scientist or two, the other to an editor. Before I do, I need to give them careful thought so I include everything I need to include as I continue to move forward one tiny footstep at a time.

These photographs were taken at the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at the Hill-stead Museum where a friend and I sat in a garden and listened to music and poetry. I sat behind this tall clump of statice.My friend brought these wonderful ginger cranberry rolls stuffed with chicken salad because she knew I'd like them. She was right.

Right now, I'm split down the middle as to which route to pursue. It's one of those times where I wish I had an editor to ask. Oh, it doesn't matter which editor, anyone from A to Z. Hopefully, I can address my questions at Chautauqua. I'm tackling this four year old project piece by piece, starting with the smallest chunks. When I looked at this stuff a year or maybe it was two years ago, I revised and improved it a lot. It's all there, but not necessarily as polished or as clear as I plan to make it.

Aside from that, I have two pieces of writing waiting in the queue for my next crit email date early next week. One is an action packed revision. The other is that silly piece of fiction.

Walt took these excellent leaping cat photographs with a fast shutter speed and a multiple shots option (click on photos to view in full screen). What I found really interesting was Twinky's tail. Note in row 2 column 1 the tail is behind her, but in row 3 column 1 it is in the opposite direction over her body. I've read that cats use their tails for balance, but it almost looks like it's a brake for the landing.

Good thing I made those brochures! I had the opportunity to speak a bit about my presentation and handed all of them out at yesterday's meeting. The focus of this meeting seemed to be educating students which is exactly my intention. Another strong theme was collaboration among organizations. I recognized one woman from the CT Envirothon. She asked me if my husband was Roman. I said no and he'd better not be and laughter erupted. My only regret is that I had to leave early to collect Julia on her last day of school and I missed a presentation that I was interested in hearing. Drat.

Aside from that, I've dug out some four year old writing. It's time to strengthen and revise to make this proposal as strong as I can make it.

I found these pieces of hornet's nest scattered all over the deck. Walt pulled them out from underneath the shingles. I don't know if he was kidding or not, but he said there's now a hornet's nest in the umbrella of our outside table, the same table I put these pieces on. Ut oh!

I still need those photographs and my subject is in camp this week. I'll get them. Trust me. This brochure WILL be done by tomorrow morning's Climate Change Education Committee meeting. I'm going to throw out an idea for that committee and see how it goes.

I am overjoyed to see that a dead opportunity has sprung back to life. Years have strengthened my resume. I'm going for it with a full court press because opportunities come, but they don't linger long.

This gorgeous full rainbow was visible from the back deck. It's not often that we see an entire rainbow where every color in the spectrum is visible. For over ten minutes, I couldn't take my eyes off the sky. This photograph doesn't do it justice. The blues, violets and greens are lost in the sky. It was a spectacular sight.

My brochure is 92.75% done. It came out great, but needs some photographs. It looks like I'll have to plan a swim date with my niece so I can get myself a real life model of the appropriate age. I'm quite content that now I have something, something concrete to show people. Ahhh. I've tried and I will have to keep on trying because I intend to honor my part of the bargain.

I received a 21-page emailed pdf file (e-book) from the Highlights Foundation. Inside were short biographies for all one hundred writers/illustrators attending from all over the United States, Canada, India and South Africa. As expected, there weren't many men, but there were lots of teachers and lots of people who loved being outdoors. Of course they loved writing/illustrating too.

I've posted more photographs from the National Museum of Natural History. These were taken at the dinosaur casting area

Now that my article has been emailed, I've set a new goal and given myself a new deadline. I want/need to complete a trifold brochure by Monday night. There is a committee meeting next week and this brochure is coming with me. The thing that might hold me up is the photographs, but I'll get it done. I will.

Now for last post's question, "why is this article that I emailed important to me?" I consider everything I write to be a stepping stone, one notch further than the prior piece. I have high aspirations for this one.

I love the vivid blue color of a mound of lobelia. Yellow flowers are a dime a dozen. Dandelions are yellow, buttercups are yellow, black-eyed Susan's are yellow, but blue is not so common in the wild, at least not around here.

Yesterday, I worked from 9:30AM to nearly 9:30PM checking my work for accuracy. When I finished (ring the bell, I'm dun dun dun dun!!!!), I went straight into thinking mode. I wondered why I worked so hard. My first thought was the tag along the right side called "asylum." Then I thought about drive and what makes a person driven. Without looking at any research on the topic, here's what I came up with. To be driven to meet a goal a person needs:

1. A specific goal - With nothing to work toward, your efforts are scattered versus focused.
2. Belief that you can meet this goal - I call this mental toughness. Marathoners say this is a huge part of their runs.
3. A realistic goal - If the goal is unreachable, it's not going to happen.
4. An important goal - The goal must be important to the person.
6. A deadline - This is what pushes a person toward a goal at a faster rate than they would normally move.

I still have questions. Why is this article so important to me? Why did I push myself to finish it all in one intense chunk of time? The editor didn't give me a deadline, I gave myself one.

To fuel my writing fire, I didn't spend much time on dinner. Chipotle Black Bean Burrito's were Mexican, healthy, veggie, fast and yummy. Perfect for busy people.

I noticed a paper of mine is now on Google Scholar where you find research papers. I don't know how long it's been out there, but I kind of liked the company it's keeping. That set me off wondering how it got out there. The publisher submits it.

The bunny is back again searching for a garden to flourish in. It has yet to find one. Maybe some day soon.

Time is ticking fast lately. Crit group suggestions are nearly complete. Then it's back to fact-checking. I hope I can get the article out the door by the end of the week.

I learned the name of my Chautauqua (is that the hardest darn word to say or what?) workshop mentor and I'm uber-delighted. The forty-five workshop descriptions that arrived via email were more detailed than those on the website and they included who the speaker was. For example, there was a workshop on e-books (by Harold Underdown) a workshop called "200 words or less" and another called work-for-hire. I got to pick 15, at times that was tough. Many of us on the Chautauqua discussion board plan to swap notes. So, I have to remember to write clearly and neatly (or I'll have to retype, ugh).

Squirrels are so common out here. This one is clinging to our oak tree out front. Earlier today, Walt took some awesome fast shutter speed images of the cat leaping. I'll post them another time. I have to read the owners manual to learn all its capabilities........but reading manuals is so bbbbbborinnnngzzzz.